Hey guys! Thank you for all the reviews! You guys are awesome! *heart*

Oh my god Sarah, DanyJay, Alisha, and Huge Fan, your reviews literally make my day! I love how all of you hate Camille so much! I do too, she's SUCH a bitch. I have to say that some of your theories are really interesting. A lot of you seem to think that Camille is in love with Brad.. hehe

I'm glad you all like the POV switches, because they're going to have to happen a little more often than usual. Otherwise Magnus wouldn't be in the story very much right now, and I know you guys don't want that!

Hearing that you guys have been crying is absolutely insane to me. That's seriously crazy. I love you guys so much!

I actually don't have that much to say right now, which is weird for me... haha. Anyway, I was going to post this last night but I couldn't because I was at the DIVERGENT PREMIERE with my sisters and brother! It was amazing! If you're in that fandom, go see it!

But here's the next chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these lovely characters. All I own is the plot. ugh.

Alec opened his eyes slowly, squinting his eyes at the light that was shining in his eyes. He soaked up the sunlight, allowing it to consume his senses in a way that he hadn't in a long time. Just this once, he wanted to lie on his bed and think of nothing, but he should have known that he wasn't capable of that.

Today was the day of the conference. Today was the day that Alec would have to face his parents and come clean about everything he had been fighting so hard to keep a secret. Today was the day that he would have to do everything alone. He didn't have Magnus by his side this time. When the conference was over, Magnus wasn't going to be waiting for him in the other room. Magnus wasn't going to be waiting for him anywhere.

Alec wanted to pick up his phone and call Magnus, apologize for everything and let things go back to the way they were, but he knew that would never happen. After everything that had occurred the past two days, there was no way anything would ever be the same.

After today, Alec was going to be officially and publicly outed. He would never again be able to walk down the halls and pretend that he was the same as every other student that walked by him. Alec had already received harassment when he first arrived at this school because of his parents and the company, but he knew the kind of harassment that was coming would be much worse.

Alec rolled out of his bed, refusing to think about this any longer. He trudged into the shower in attempt to wash away everything that was on his mind until he was focused solely on the conference, but there was one problem with that; the conference was completely and irrevocably about him and Magnus.

It seemed, there was no escaping Magnus.

Magnus.

Alec closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against the wall. He couldn't escape thinking about Magnus, and he didn't even want to. Everything was wrong in his life, and for once, he had been the one who had the chance to preserve something. He could have stopped Magnus, but he just didn't.

Alec let a tear slip down his face as the hot water scorched his body. He couldn't think clearly.

Alec finished his shower quickly, trying to hold off all thoughts of Magnus without much success. He felt his eyes cross involuntarily and gripped the wall for support. He slipped a pair of shorts on and stumbled back into his room, ignoring the fact that he was still soaking wet, and collapsed into his bed.

He let go.

He let go of the feeling that he had to stay strong, because there was no one to stay strong for. He let go of the bravado that was ingrained into him and accepted the fact that he was terrified. He let go of the pretense that he wasn't terrified to come clean to his parents and… everyone. He let go of the walls that he had been keeping up high since the moment Magnus walked out the door and allowed himself to feel again.

Alec felt himself crumble. His shoulders heaved as he allowed himself to release every ounce of pent up emotion that he possessed. Tears streamed down his face as he gasped for air, fighting against his body for breath. His gasps turned into strangled sobs while he fisted the sheets of his bed.

Magnus. The game. Magnus. His parents. His family. His friends. Magnus.

Nothing was right. He had tried so hard to keep everything under control, but it didn't make a difference. No matter what he did, it wasn't good enough.

Alec cried for Magnus. He cried for his future and he cried for his family. He cried for all the wasted years; all those horrible years that he spent trying so hard to hide everything from everyone. He cried for himself and all the stupid mistakes he had made. He cried and there was nothing he could do to make himself stop.

Alec clenched the sheets tighter, holding on to them like they were a lifeline. He didn't know what else to do.

A pair of strong arms wrapped around Alec's body and pulled him up into a sitting position. Alec tried to slow his tears but failed as Jace pressed Alec's head into his chest.

Jace didn't say a word. He squeezed Alec tightly, wrapping his arms around Alec's shoulders protectively, with no sign that he was going to let go any time soon.

Alec was completely incoherent, sobbing even harder against Jace's chest than he had been when he was alone. He could faintly hear Jace telling him something, but he couldn't understand the words.

"I'm sorry," Alec whispered, his voice breaking so much that the words were almost incomprehensible.

Jace responded by squeezing him tighter, holding together the last pieces of sanity that Alec possessed. Alec clung to Jace, allowing Jace to anchor him to the earth in a way that he had never before. In that moment, Alec remembered something. He remembered the one thing he could never lose, no matter how hard he tried.

He remembered his family.

The afternoon came quickly, much quicker than Alec would have liked, and before he knew it he was in Jace's car with his siblings on their way to the hotel to meet their parents. He had been dreading this meeting all day and he knew his siblings were as well. None of them had hardly uttered a word since they got into the car.

They arrived at the hotel and Jace took charge, finding out which room they were supposed to be going to and if their parents were there yet. They weren't.

Jace nodded toward the elevator and the quickly went up to the top floor. Alec couldn't help but inwardly sigh; of course his parents had rented the penthouse suite.

Once they had all entered the room, Isabelle was the first to break the silence. "Okay, what's the game plan?"

"What do you mean?" Jace inquired, taking a seat on the long and delicate white sofa. "What is there to plan? Mum and Dad are probably just going to want to talk with Alec anyway. I doubt the rest of us will have to do much talking."

Alec felt his cheeks flush and he looked down at his shoes. The dread that was stewing in the bottom of his stomach was becoming difficult to bear.

"We don't know that for sure," Isabelle said quickly, her eyes flashing toward Alec. "She didn't even mention Alec on the phone."

"Isabelle, be realistic." said Jace.

"You want me to be realistic?" Isabelle demanded, her voice beginning to rise. "You're the one who started a fight in the middle of the soccer field! For all you know, they'll just want to talk to you, not Alec!"

"What about your little scat with Camille in the sound booth? You don't think Mum will be angry about that?" said Jace, standing up. His neck was beginning to turn red the way it always did when he was on the verge of shouting, and Alec couldn't help but feel that this was only the beginning of the drama he would have to endure during this day.

"Will the both of you just shut up?" Max shouted.

"Stay out of it, Max." Jace ordered.

"How can I? This involves all of us. I know you three always want it to be about you, but sometimes that just isn't the case." Max seethed, shaking his head in frustration.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Isabelle demanded.

"You know perfectly well what that's supposed to mean!" Max inhaled slowly before continuing. "Every time there's a problem—or anything really—it somehow involves all three of you. Just the three of you. Never me."

"Don't be a drama queen." Isabelle sighed, rolling her eyes.

"I'm not. You would know that if you ever took two seconds out of your day to talk to me!"

"Fuck off. I talk to you plenty." Isabelle said.

Max clenched his jaw at her words. "Whatever, Izzy."

Alec rubbed his hands down his face in frustration as Max stormed out of the room, slamming the nearest door he could find behind him. Alec looked up to see Jace glaring at Isabelle.

"Isabelle!" Jace reprimanded. "What the hell?!"

"What?" Isabelle shot back, tossing her hair behind her shoulder and taking a seat on the couch angrily.

"I'll talk to him." Alec offered. Jace waved him off, sitting down by Isabelle and saying something to her quietly. Alec looked up at the ceiling and squeezed his eyes shut tightly. A fight was the last thing they needed today. Alec couldn't help but feel sorry for himself, despite the fact that everyone seemed to be feeling the same way. He had really wanted this conversation with his parents to go smoothly, but he could assume now that it would not.

Alec opened the door that Max had slammed moments ago, revealing the master bedroom of the suite. Max was sitting on the bed staring at the wall with his back to the door.

"Get out. I don't want to hear your—oh, it's you." Max said, turning around with a frown.

Alec took Max's words as a good thing. At least Max wasn't upset with him as much as Jace and Isabelle. "Are you angry with me?" Alec asked.

"Not you specifically," Max, sighing.

"That's not really encouraging." Alec said.

Max laughed softly. "It's not your fault. It almost never is."

"What isn't?"

Max sighed, all signs of laughter leaving his features. "I just feel like everything is always centered around you three. I mean, I know I'm younger than all of you and I can't expect them to treat me the same way they treat you… but that doesn't mean I don't want them to."

"What do you mean?" Alec inquired.

"I'm the youngest and being the youngest automatically separates you from the older kids. Don't pretend you don't feel closer to Jace and Isabelle than you do to me."

Alec tried to think of something reassuring to say to that, but he had nothing.

"And that's fine." Max continued. "I can deal with that. But I hate when they treat me like I'm an outsider. I hate when I feel like I'm not even a part of this family. We already have to deal with Mum and Dad being the flakiest parents the world has ever known and that's shit. I don't want to feel like I don't have anyone."

"You always have me." said Alec.

"I know." Max said, smiling slightly. "I've always had you. You never treat me differently than anyone else… and that's why I haven't totally kicked their asses yet."

Alec laughed, nudging Max's shoulder. Max's smile faltered and Alec bit his lip. There was obviously something else bothering him.

Suddenly, Max looked up at Alec with remorseful eyes, and bit his lip. Alec couldn't help but feel like he was looking in the mirror. He and Max looked very alike and when Max wasn't smiling (which didn't happen often) he looked even more like Alec than usual. That slightly bothered Alec and it made him reconsider how often he smiled…

"I'm sorry about this, Alec." Max said, interrupting Alec's thoughts. "I'm so, so sorry."

"It's not your fault," Alec told him, knitting his eyebrows together in confusion. There was a sincere kind of grief in his eyes that only came from someone who had needed forgiveness, and Alec couldn't quite understand why.

"Yes, it is." said Max. "None of this would have happened if I would have just kept my mouth shut that day at The Bat Cave. Then Camille wouldn't have known and none of this would have happened."

Alec's mind was whirling. What did Camille have to do with any of this? "No, it's not. If I would have just told you sooner than you wouldn't have had to tell Brad anything. For god's sake, you didn't even know you were lying!"

Max shook his head. "Still."

"Still nothing. There's no question about whose fault this is, Max." Alec wanted to ask about Camille, but he also didn't want to change the subject and make Max feel like he was making light of his feelings. Especially not after the conversation they had just had.

"So you're not mad?"

"There's nothing to be mad about."

Max smiled and got off the bed, jumping when the door slammed open.

"They're here." Isabelle said, her eyes wide. "Jace just saw them walk in. They'll probably be up here in the next two minutes."

"God help us." Jace said from behind her. "I can't wait until we tell them what happened so they sue Brad out of house and home."

"Why would they sue Brad?" Max asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Were you not at the game?" said Jace. "Because if you were, I don't think it would be possible to miss what we're talking about."

"The video," Isabelle supplied, smiling shyly at Max. Max nodded at her and Alec couldn't help but roll his eyes at the way his sister chose to apologize. Isabelle and her huge ego never properly apologized. It was just something that they were all used to by now.

"Brad didn't make the video." Max said. "Camille did. Brad didn't even know about it."

"No way." Jace said, his eyes hard. "Why would she even do that?"

"I don't know, but I talked to Brad after the game and I'm pretty sure it wasn't him."

"You talked to him?" Isabelle demanded. "How?"

"Well, it usually involves moving your lips and making some noises now and then." Jace quipped. Isabelle glared at him.

"After the game, like I said. Maybe if you bothered to find out where I was, you would have known that." Max said.

"What exactly did he say?" Jace asked, his eyes staring into Max's intensely.

"He was just freaking out, trying to tell me that he had no idea what happened. He told me to tell Alec he was sorry like fifteen times."

"Camille?" Alec whispered. "Why would she—I don't understand."

"He didn't seem to be very clear about what happened either." said Max.

"And you believe him?" Isabelle asked dubiously.

"Actually, yes. I don't know if he had it in him to lie at that moment. I think he was afraid that I was going to beat the shit out of him like Jace did." Max said, smiling slightly.

Jace grinned. "I believe you got a few hits in yourself, little brother."

Alec heard someone fiddling with the lock at the door to the hotel room and sucked in a breath. His parents were here. His parents were here and he was about to be forced to have a conversation about his sexuality with them.

To say he was terrified would be the understatement of the century.

"Brace yourselves." Jace said, squeezing Alec's shoulder comfortingly. Alec flashed back to this morning and pressed his lips into a hard line. Judging from the expression on Jace's face, he was thinking about this morning as well. He hadn't mentioned anything about it, but Alec knew he never would. That was the kind of thing they would keep between the two of them.

The door swung open to reveal the emotionless faces of Robert and Maryse Lightwood. Alec felt a jolt of terror run down his spine. This was not going to go well.

Alec's parents looked very businesslike, as per usual, and their expressions were completely unreadable. His mother's long, black hair was pulled into a tight knot at the back of her head and her makeup was done the same way she always did it before she made an appearance on TV; dark eyes and red lips. She was wearing a white skirt with a matching white blazer, which was very in stark contrast to the black suite Alec's father was wearing. No matter how much Alec loved his parents, there was always something about the severe way they dressed at all times that was a little bit unsettling.

"Robert, Maryse." Jace said, nodding his head cordially.

"Jace, stop it." Maryse said calmly, walking into the hotel room. Alec couldn't help but wince. Maryse always hated it when Jace called her by her first name and that seemed to be the only thing that pushed him to do it repeatedly. Alec wanted to slap Jace for purposefully agitating her, but he didn't think he could blink without assistance, much less one of his limbs.

"Mother," he corrected with a smile. Alec could tell it was forced, but Maryse seemed to believe it was genuine.

Maryse responded by smiling brightly and embracing Jace, along with the rest of her children one by one. Alec couldn't help but cringe at the way Robert stayed near the door, staring at them. He couldn't tell if Robert was angry or not, but he definitely wasn't looking for the same warm welcoming that Maryse had been.

"We only have an hour to talk before the press meeting," Maryse said. "So we had better get into it."

Everyone walked toward the living room where there was appropriate seating. Robert and Maryse sat on the same chair, while all of the kids sat on the couch together. Alec bit his lip and looked at Isabelle, who was sitting to his right. Max was on his left, and Jace was next to him. It was touching to Alec that they had all chosen to be cramped on the couch when there were still seats available. The fact that they were standing beside him meant a lot.

Alec's heart was thudding against his ribcage furiously and he could feel his pulse beating against his temples. He had never been more afraid of anything in his entire life. This conversation had been coming for years. He wasn't stupid, he had known it would have to happen eventually, he just didn't necessarily want it to happen right now.

When Alec had imagined coming out to his parents, he had always thought that it would be on his terms. He had planned on telling them when he was ready, not when he had no other choice. But as it was, he didn't really even have to tell them, he just had to discuss it with them; which at the moment, seemed almost worse.

"We have been thoroughly informed about what happened at the game on Thursday, and I'm fairly certain it was all accurate information," Maryse began. "But we need to be certain before I talk to the press."

"Normally I would be absolutely livid with the four of you, but… I can't bring myself to be angry, under the circumstances." Robert said, finally speaking. A wry smile cracked his hard features. "I can't say that I would have done anything differently, had I been there."

Alec's jaw was hanging agape, staring at Robert with a mixture of surprise and awe.

"You're not angry about the fighting?" Isabelle asked, seeming just as shocked as Alec.

"I wouldn't go that far." Maryse cut in. "But your father and I had a very long discussion about all of this while we were on the plane and we can both understand where you were coming from. It is, however, going to be difficult to find a way to keep you three from being expelled." she said, pointing to Jace, Isabelle, and Max. "You know the school has a no violence policy."

"Expel us? They should be lucky if we don't sue their pathetic excuse of a school out of existence!" Isabelle exclaimed.

"Sue the school?" Max asked. "For what?"

"For letting one of their foul, idiotic students play a video like that in the first place!"

"Isabelle," Maryse warned.

"Don't chastise me, mother. Camille is a bitch and I'll tell anyone that will listen!"

"NO, you will not." Robert said, his voice hard. "None of you will be telling anything to anyone. You are not to speak to the press. At all. If they approach you, you are to ignore them. Are we clear?"

"Then why did you even want us to come?" Max demanded.

"To make sure our story was correct." Maryse said softly. "And to make sure our children were alright." Alec felt his cheeks warm as all eyes in the room focused on him.

"Jace," Robert said, his eyes shifting away from Alec. "What exactly happened at the game? Don't leave anything out."

Jace launched into the story without a second's hesitation, telling Robert and Maryse about how the game had been going well until half time. He told them about the video and how Alec had run off while Jace and Max were fighting with Val, Jonathan, and Brad. He told them about how Isabelle attacked Camille in the sound booth, how they had all run away before security could catch them, and then spent an hour or so in Alec's room.

Alec's heart was beating so hard that it was painful and talking about everything made him feel nauseous. It hadn't felt real when it had been happening, it had felt like a movie, or a dream. Hearing Jace talk about it the way he was made Alec realize that it had indeed happened. It made his head hurt to think about the fact that he would have to face everyone at school on Monday.

"How was this video taken?" Robert asked, his voice sounding somber and businesslike once again.

"A girl on the yearbook committee did it." Max piped in. "I don't know if she was the one who recorded it or not, but she was the one who played it."

"Did she threaten you in any way beforehand?" Robert inquired, his gaze directed toward Alec.

Alec shook his head. "I don't really talk to her very much."

"But you do know her?"

"She's Brad's friend." Alec said simply. His parents knew who Brad was. They knew that Brad was a close friend of Alec's. It suddenly struck Alec that they honestly had no idea what had happened this year.

"I don't understand." Maryse said, smoothing her hair against the top of her head. "If she didn't want money, then what did she want? What could she possibly hope to accomplish with this?"

"That," Jace said, leaning back against the couch. "Is the question of the hour, it seems."

Robert seemed to deliberate for a moment in his mind, before looking at Maryse seriously. She nodded and looked at her four children with an intense kind of severity that made Alec feel like he was going to shit his pants.

"If you three wouldn't mind, your father and I would like to talk to Alec for a moment. Alone."

Neither Jace, Isabelle, nor Max responded; but rather got up and left without a word, all three of them entering the nearest room.

Alec stared at the closed door longer than necessary, trying to put off this conversation for as long as he possibly could. Eventually, Robert cleared his throat and Alec jumped, turning back toward them slowly. His heart was beating like a hummingbird's and his palms had begun to clam up. He tried to ignore the bone deep fear that was threatening to overwhelm him, but it was a difficult task.

"Alexander," Robert began. This was not a good sign. It was never good when his parents began with full names.

Maryse bit her lip, a habit that Alec had picked up from her when he was a child, and cut in before Robert could continue. "I know this isn't how you would have wanted to have this conversation and I'm deeply sorry about that. I know this must be very hard for you."

Alec nodded, not trusting the stability of his voice.

"And I know that you are all angry with us." Maryse continued. Alec opened his mouth to protest, but Maryse waved his words away. "You don't have to pretend you're not. I know we haven't been the most involved parents these past two years and I'm sorry for that."

"We are very short on time," Robert cut in. "So, unfortunately, we don't have time to really discuss this. We just need to know the details and we can only assume you wouldn't be comfortable sharing them in front of your siblings."

"They already know." Alec said quietly.

"Fair enough," Robert said. "Now, about the boy in the video…"

Alec felt himself stiffen at the mention of Magnus. Of course his father would want to know about the one thing that Jace, Isabelle, and Max didn't know about. The only person that knew was Clary… unless Clary told someone, which, now that Alec thought about it, seemed extremely likely. "What about him?"

"Well, what's his name?" Maryse said kindly. She was smiling a small smile, and for a moment, it made Alec think that maybe, just maybe, she was okay with him being gay.

"Magnus." Alec answered quickly.

"Is he your… are you two…?" Maryse asked, edging around the question.

Alec didn't know how to answer. In all honesty, he was beginning to ask himself the same questions. He had told Magnus he needed time, but was that really breaking up with him? Or, more importantly, did Magnus think that Alec had broken up with him?

At first, Alec had thought that he had destroyed all chances he had with Magnus with what he did the night of the game, but now he wasn't so sure. His mother's question prompted something inside him, something that made him cling onto the hope that maybe, just maybe, he and Magnus would be okay when he got back to school.

"We started seeing each other at the beginning of the school year." Alec said, trying to avoid directly lying to his parents.

"Okay," Maryse said, nodding. "Am I correct in assuming that he won't need to be compensated for staying quiet then?"

Alec's eyes shot wide open, his jaw dropping. "No! Why would you—he doesn't—no!"

"Alright, alright." Maryse said, holding her hands up in attempt to pacify Alec. "I was just making sure."

Alec's face was on fire and he didn't want to imagine the color of red his cheeks were. "Is that all?"

"Not quite." Robert edged. "As your mother said, we talked about all of this on the plane and we think it would be best for you to come home early with us."

"What do you mean?"

"Rather than going back to school for two weeks, we'd like you to come home and wait until the end of winter break, when all of this drama dies down, to return to school."

"Just me?" Alec asked in a small voice.

"No. The whole family." Maryse said. "It would be for the best."

"Hell no!" Isabelle bellowed, bounding into the living room. Alec rolled his eyes. Of course they had all been listening.

"We can't just skip school, Mum." Max said. "We can't miss finals."

"Our family is more important than a silly test. Robert, tell them." Maryse implored.

"You can take them online." Robert said to Max.

"It's only two weeks! Please!" Isabelle begged.

Robert looked at Maryse, seemingly unsure of what he was supposed to do. Alec could almost laugh. They had probably expected their children to be ecstatic to be skipping school.

Jace nudged Alec lightly, sitting next to him while Isabelle continued to argue with their parents. "What do you think?" he whispered.

Alec chewed on his lip for a moment. "I don't know. I don't see how leaving early will help."

"I feel the same way." he said quietly. He sat up straight and looked at their parents. "Alec doesn't want to go."

Alec raised an eyebrow, but realized it was true. He didn't want to leave. He needed to talk to Magnus and apologize, not to mention that it would probably be worse if they all left and then came back later. He needed to face up to what had happened, not run away. He didn't want to be a coward anymore.

"Alec?" Robert asked.

"I don't. I don't want to go, I mean."

Robert looked conflicted. Before he could say anything there was a knock at the door. "Mr. Lightwood, the press is ready for you now." a voice announced through the door.

"We'll be right there!" Robert shouted, grasping Maryse's hand firmly in his own. "It seems that our time has run out."

"So it seems." said Jace.

"I want you kids to stay up here during the conference." Robert said, standing up. "We'll be back briefly to say goodbye when it's finished."

"So we don't have to go home early?" Isabelle asked excitedly.

"I suppose not. You can watch the conference on the television if you'd like." Robert said with a sigh. "Although, I'm not sure that you'll want to."

"We will." Jace said firmly.

Robert nodded. "We'll see you all after the conference."

With that, Robert and Maryse exited the hotel room, leaving their children alone. There was an uncomfortable silence between them and Alec couldn't help but inwardly cringe. He had a feeling this was about to be the worst day in his life. His parents were about to announce to the entire world that he was gay and who knows what they were going to say about it. It was all too much to handle.

Eventually Isabelle and Max sat down, Max on the couch and Isabelle on the chair Maryse and Robert had been sharing. Isabelle looked at Alec with concern.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"I will be… I hope." he said honestly.

"It'll all work out, I promise." she told him. Alec wasn't sure if he was reading too much into her expression, but he could almost swear there was more meaning behind Isabelle's words than there should have been. Once again the thought that Clary had told all of them about the breakup crossed his mind, but this time, he was almost positive that Clary had indeed told them.

"Well," Jace said, getting up from the couch and walking toward the TV. "What channel do you think it will be on?"

There IS more to this conference thing, but it was going to be like 10,000 words if I finished it lol so I cut it in half. I love you guys, PLEASE REVIEW and let me know what you think my lovely people *heart*

- Hannah